Horror Stories.

One terrifying photo!

How many times have we heard someone say something along the lines of "My [insert relative here] had diabetes too! He/She [insert horrific diabetes-related complication story]!"

It's not nice. I'm fully aware of the complications of not keeping my blood sugar levels in check without your horror story, thank you very much! Being reminded like that is not helpful; if I thought like that all the time, I wouldn't bother getting up out of bed in the morning. I would just admit defeat and accept my future as a blind, limb-less, kidney failure patient (see, well aware of the complications!)

What actually helps is making light of the subject. Diabetes is serious, I'm not disputing that, but living with it day in day out means you have to make light of it, otherwise it will completely eat away at you! At the end of the day, I still need to live my life as a 20-year-old student living abroad. I've learnt that my life doesn't go on hold, and it was my housemates that taught me that. They were also the ones that taught me how to make light of my situation: they started referring to my injections as "shoot ups" (something I now say all the time), and when I told them about the risk of DKA they heard "DK" and then proceeded to refer to DKA as Donkey Kong! If I have high bloods and ketones, I am "Donkey-Kong-ing" according to my housemates. But if that's how they remember it, then so be it! 

So, ignore the horror stories people tell you. Be well aware of the complications, yes, but don't dwell on them. And if you're not sure how to laugh at your diabetes yet, then find the Type 1 Diabetes Memes Facebook Page. Pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face!